Pharmacologists rate CAM for fibromyalgia

Three physicians and high-ranking officials of Cypress Bioscience, Inc. — a company focused on the pharmacotherapy of fibromyalgia — have written a detailed review of fibromyalgia (FMS).

Here’s a summary of their view of non-pharmacological therapy and future challenges.

Cognitive behavioral therapy and exercise.

• Both are “efficacious in the treatment of FMS.”
• Both “can lead to sustained (eg, greater than one year) improvements and are very effective in compliant individuals.”

The bottom line?
The challenge is to “improve long-term adherence and compliance,” and start to use “the Internet, or telemedicine … [to] allow a larger number of patients access to these therapies.”

Also, new studies need to address “the optimal manner in which to combine pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies.”

3/11/08